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How do Atheists view the Nigerian National Anthem/Pledge? - Religion - Nairaland

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How do Atheists view the Nigerian National Anthem/Pledge? by DarkRebel69: 6:18pm On Aug 17, 2017
It's always been a curio to me, that is, the question of how atheists deal with situations where they have to avowedly recite the Nigerian national anthem and pledge, which by the way are both grossly skewed in favour of "theists".

I'm both deist and humanist by virtue of self-recognition, and I've grown to see the concept of "nationalism" as a very dubious one (I do not wish to be elaborate on my reasons for now). So my reluctance to reciting either the anthem or the pledge is driven more by an in-dwelling suspicion of "nationalism" than by a repugnance felt towards the "God element" contained in the two of them.

What I do in fact whenever I have to recite the national anthem or pledge is to breeze through the verses without having the thiniest strand of conviction in the words being recited. I wonder if that is how atheists deal with the issue as well, especially on reaching those areas containing the "God element"?

And, do you not think it's high time the national anthem and pledge gets slightly re-touched in those tiny areas of it that call on the "help of God"? Surely that if done would signal a willingness to make that much-needed defection from religion-based politics to rational secularism.


Nigerian National Anthem:

Arise, O compatriots
Nigeria's call obey
To serve our fatherland
With love and strength and faith
The labour of our heroes past
Shall never be in vain
To serve with heart and might
One nation bound in freedom
Peace and unity.
Oh God of creation
Direct our noble cause
Guide our leaders right
Help our youth the truth to know
In love and honesty to grow
And living just and true
Great lofty heights attain
To build a nation where peace
And justice shall reign

Nigerian National Pledge:

I pledge to Nigeria my country.
To be faithful, loyal and honest.
To serve Nigeria with all my strength.
To defend her unity, and uphold her honor and glory.
So help me God.
Re: How do Atheists view the Nigerian National Anthem/Pledge? by Ermacc: 6:21pm On Aug 17, 2017
I'm not an atheist, so i'll let them answer for themselves. But pls, what do you mean by half deist and half humanist?
Re: How do Atheists view the Nigerian National Anthem/Pledge? by sonofluc1fer: 6:23pm On Aug 17, 2017
The anthem means nothing to me. Nigeria is as fake as Jesus.. A silly idea that has outlived its usefulness.

Edit:
Btw, I wouldn't mind singing an anthem with 'God' in the lyrics. It's just that I feel like an idiot when singing that anthem. It's almost impossible to lie to one's self.

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Re: How do Atheists view the Nigerian National Anthem/Pledge? by DarkRebel69: 6:25pm On Aug 17, 2017
Ermacc:
I'm not an atheist, so i'll let them answer for themselves. But pls, what do you mean by half deist and half humanist?

I've re-worded it to avoid confusion. What I meant is I'm not fully taken by deism. I find myself vacillating between deism and agnosticism, hence my use of the term "half-deist".
Re: How do Atheists view the Nigerian National Anthem/Pledge? by Nobody: 6:47pm On Aug 17, 2017
Duurrhh..!! undecided you can undertstand better if you click this link to what I had afore-posted:

www.nairaland.com/3917464/atheists-foolishness-see-how-why#58387855



DarkRebel69:
It's always been a curio to me, that is, the question of how atheists deal with situations where they have to avowedly recite the Nigerian national anthem and pledge, which by the way are grossly skewed in favour of "theists".

I'm both deist and humanist by virtue of self-recognition, and I've grown to see the concept of "nationalism" as a very dubious one (I do not wish to be elaborate on my reasons for now). So my reluctance to reciting either the anthem or the pledge is driven more by an in-dwelling suspicion of "nationalism" than by a repugnance felt towards the "God element" contained in the two of them.

What I do in fact whenever I have to recite the national anthem or pledge is to breeze through the verses without having the thiniest strand of conviction in the words being recited. I wonder if that is how atheists deal with the issue as well, especially on reaching those areas containing the "God element"?

And, do you not think it's high time the national anthem and pledge gets slightly re-touched in those tiny areas of it that call on the "help of God"? Surely that if done would signal a willingness to make that much-needed defection from religion-based politics to rational secularism.


Nigerian National Anthem:

Arise, O compatriots
Nigeria's call obey
To serve our fatherland
With love and strength and faith
The labour of our heroes past
Shall never be in vain
To serve with heart and might
One nation bound in freedom
Peace and unity.
Oh God of creation
Direct our noble cause
Guide our leaders right
Help our youth the truth to know
In love and honesty to grow
And living just and true
Great lofty heights attain
To build a nation where peace
And justice shall reign

Nigerian National Pledge:

I pledge to Nigeria my country.
To be faithful, loyal and honest.
To serve Nigeria with all my strength.
To defend her unity, and uphold her honor and glory.
So help me God.
Re: How do Atheists view the Nigerian National Anthem/Pledge? by CAPSLOCKED: 6:56pm On Aug 17, 2017
sonofluc1fer:
The anthem means nothing to me. Nigeria is as fake as Jesus.. A silly idea that has outlived its usefulness.

Edit:
Btw, I wouldn't mind singing an anthem with 'God' in the lyrics. It's just that I feel like an idiot when singing that anthem. It's almost impossible to lie to one's self.
Re: How do Atheists view the Nigerian National Anthem/Pledge? by edicied: 7:57pm On Aug 17, 2017
Them day put knife for people neck to recite national anthem?
Re: How do Atheists view the Nigerian National Anthem/Pledge? by DeSepiero(m): 8:14pm On Aug 17, 2017
Whenever I hear it, the Nigerian National Anthem and Pledge motivates me. smiley
Re: How do Atheists view the Nigerian National Anthem/Pledge? by kevoh(m): 8:31pm On Aug 17, 2017
The same way I feel whenever I greet salaam aleku or say insha allah to that Muslim client just so that he will be inclined to favour me and it works always.

1 Like

Re: How do Atheists view the Nigerian National Anthem/Pledge? by Nobody: 8:41pm On Aug 17, 2017
I don't care for it and have no reason to recite it thankfully. For one I think patriotism is a government or society telling you that you should be grateful for privileges and rights that are already yours by virtue of being a citizen of that country, meanwhile Nigeria has given me little or nothing to be grateful for.
Re: How do Atheists view the Nigerian National Anthem/Pledge? by adepeter2027(m): 11:42pm On Aug 17, 2017
kevoh:
The same way I feel whenever I greet salaam aleku or say insha allah to that Muslim client just so that he will be inclined to favour me and it works always.
Your head correct
Re: How do Atheists view the Nigerian National Anthem/Pledge? by Nobody: 12:28pm On Oct 03, 2017
DarkRebel69:
It's always been a curio to me, that is, the question of how atheists deal with situations where they have to avowedly recite the Nigerian national anthem and pledge, which by the way are both grossly skewed in favour of "theists".

I'm both deist and humanist by virtue of self-recognition, and I've grown to see the concept of "nationalism" as a very dubious one (I do not wish to be elaborate on my reasons for now). So my reluctance to reciting either the anthem or the pledge is driven more by an in-dwelling suspicion of "nationalism" than by a repugnance felt towards the "God element" contained in the two of them.

What I do in fact whenever I have to recite the national anthem or pledge is to breeze through the verses without having the thiniest strand of conviction in the words being recited. I wonder if that is how atheists deal with the issue as well, especially on reaching those areas containing the "God element"?

And, do you not think it's high time the national anthem and pledge gets slightly re-touched in those tiny areas of it that call on the "help of God"? Surely that if done would signal a willingness to make that much-needed defection from religion-based politics to rational secularism.


Nigerian National Anthem:

Arise, O compatriots
Nigeria's call obey
To serve our fatherland
With love and strength and faith
The labour of our heroes past
Shall never be in vain
To serve with heart and might
One nation bound in freedom
Peace and unity.
Oh God of creation
Direct our noble cause
Guide our leaders right
Help our youth the truth to know
In love and honesty to grow
And living just and true
Great lofty heights attain
To build a nation where peace
And justice shall reign

Nigerian National Pledge:

I pledge to Nigeria my country.
To be faithful, loyal and honest.
To serve Nigeria with all my strength.
To defend her unity, and uphold her honor and glory.
So help me God.
It actually doesn't bother me, and as a patriotic Nigerian, I recite it with the utmost delight.

I just choose to view it from the same prism as the American constitution, which, even though the Founding Fathers were more deist-like/atheist-like in their beliefs, some of them even contemptous of the Abrahamic deity, having no iota of reverence for him, contains the word, "God".

"God" in the American constitution is simply a rhetorical device. The God of the Founding Fathers certainly wasn't the Christian God.

The Declaration of Independence refers to "Nature's God" rather than "God". Plainly, a subtle reference is being made here to a deist or even pantheist view of God rather than the theist view. There's also a reference to a "Creator" whose nature is not defined, to "Divine Providence", and to the "Supreme Judge of the world". All of this could have been said by any ancient Stoic. This is no kind of Christian document.

I choose to view the Nigerian Anthem the same way.
Tozara

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